In a rare move, the president urges New York City voters to pick the former governor instead of a Republican in the mayor’s race.
President Donald Trump on Monday urged voters to vote for Andrew Cuomo in the New York City mayoral race to prevent Zohran Mamdani—a self-described democratic socialist—from becoming the next mayor of the nation’s largest city.
Mamdani, the Democratic Party nominee, was leading in polls on the eve of election day. He was heavily favored to become the next mayor.
“I would much rather see a Democrat who has had a Record of Success, WIN, than a Communist with no experience and a Record of COMPLETE AND TOTAL FAILURE,” Trump posted in part on Truth Social Monday.
The president noted in the Truth Social post that he was considering reducing federal funding to the city of over 8 million residents to the “very minimum as required” if they elected Mamdani, which he accused of being a “communist.”
“It can only get worse with a Communist at the helm, and I don’t want to send, as President, good money after bad,” Trump said. “It is my obligation to run the Nation, and it is my strong conviction that New York City will be a Complete and Total Economic and Social Disaster should Mamdani win. His principles have been tested for over a thousand years, and never once have they been successful.”
The race also includes Republican Curtis Sliwa, who is running far behind Mamdani and Cuomo, who ran as an independent candidate after losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani.
“A vote for Curtis Sliwa … is a vote for Mamdani,” Trump said. “Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!”
None of the candidates responded to requests for comment about Trump’s statement by publication time.
In a post earlier Monday, Cuomo said he believed he had the momentum in the race Monday, posting the results of a poll that found 39 percent of voters favored the former governor.
Mamdani garnered 44 percent of the vote, while Sliwa took in 16 percent.
